Former Press Secretary and defector from the Bush regime Scott McClellan reviews Oliver Stone's W. on its accuracy and entertainment value. And he likes it (for the most part)!
Not that McClellan the most objective viewer, seeing as how he literally wrote the book about George the 2nd being a naive, goofy pawn for his father, Karl Rove, and Dick Cheney.
But which of the White House cronies does McClellan continue to carry a grudge for, after all these years?
W. isn't even out yet and Oliver Stone wants to go around, stirring up more trouble. Sources are saying Stone is looking to make a sequel to Wall Street, his 1987 movie about corrupt stock brokers at a time when the country's greatest fear isn't terrorists or Anthrax but…corrupt stock brokers.
The sequel is titled Money Never Sleeps, and already Michael Douglas wants on board for a reprisal of Gordon Gekko, "who has recently been released from prison only to re-emerge into a much more tumultuous financial world than the one he once lorded over."
How apropos.
Only a couple months ago, President George Bush was the biggest goof America had on its radar. Lovely, innocent times those were, before Sarah Palin came down from Alaska and gosh darnnit if she didn't just steal folks' hearts with her colloquial syntax and adorable doodles.
Back then, when the first trailer for Oliver Stone's biopic (is that what it is?) on our fearless leader hit the screens and the blogs, everyone was pissed. Conservatives were mad that W. made George Bush look like an alcoholic fratboy who got the presidency through nepotism, and the liberals were pissed because having a detrimental picture come out so close to election time would give the right something to rally against. So, everyone loses? Especially Josh Brolin, who got so into caricature as Jr. that he was arrested in Shreveport for bar fighting.
But in a twist worthy of M. Night Shyamalan, the first reviews are in, and it looks like W isn't the usual heavy-handed Stone affair that people were afraid of. In fact, it could have done with some more liberal interpretation:
Josh Brolin and Jeffrey Wright, who are filming Oliver Stone's W together, were arrested with four others involved with the film after cops were called to the Stray Cat bar in Shreveport, Louisiana, to deal with a rowdy patron. It was Brolin.
"Detective Rod Demery, working as Shreveport Police Department public information officer over the weekend, said sending officers to handle unruly bar patrons isn’t unusual."
Congrats, Brolin. You're a statistic.
With an October release date, Oliver Stone's W has already become a liberal media favorite talking point. And now, the rest of America may join the discussion: Lionsgate is unleashing its ad blitz. This spot is a bit of a riff on your "Webster's Dictionary defines this word as …" canned phrase, but when you name your movie with a single letter, it's either that or "W is for …"
Update: Turns out, the poster is a fake. CONTINUED »
Recently, director Oliver Stone appealed to the Iran government seeking permission to make a film about their country's president. After much thought, and careful consideration, however, Stone's request was ultimately denied.
Tehran - Iran has rejected a request by United States filmmaker Oliver Stone to make a film about President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the website of the news network Press TV reported on Sunday.
Ahmadinejad's media advisor, Mehdi Kalhor, said that Stone had requested to make a film about Ahmadinejad which was however rejected by the president.
"We have already seen his documentaries - even though Stone is considered a member of the opposition group in the US, it is still part of the Great Satan," he said.
When asked to elaborate on the president's decision, Ahmadinejad's media adviser referred us back to his previous remark, then added, "Plus, we've seen Alexander."
• Joe Francis can't put his daemons to rest in prison without his Lunesta.
• Lindsay Lohan's publicist says "sober," but her eyes say something else.
• An O.J. Simpson battle, without O.J.: Ron and Nicole's families feud over cash.
• Having realized that his show is advertising on blogs, Jimmy Kimmel backs off bashing them.
• Jennifer Lopez quotes from the scripture.
• Sean William Scott is A-OK if you think he's a homo.
CONTINUED »
• The “friendship†of Jake Gyllenhaal, Matthew McConaughey, and Lance Armstrong was finally explained at the ESPY Awards. So hot. [You Tube]
• Oliver Stone sure knows how to have a good time trippin’ out. Not to mention his mom and dad were the most crazy hands-on parents ever. [R&M]
• Au Bar closes down … we know, we thought it closed three years ago, too. [Page Six]
• According to Paris Hilton, our new Marilyn Monroe is (tada!) Paris Hilton. Wait, does that mean she'll kill herself? 'Cuz then it's ok for her to say that. [London Times]
• Jann Wenner sends his little scabs to Coney Island on the hottest day of the year. It's all worth it, kids, just to have the chance to organize pens by color and tip size. [Gawker]
• Mary J. Blige has unveiled a crazier alto-ego, "Brook," which leads us to believe she may have started drinking again. [MTV]
• Oliver Stone believes that Madonna can play a hooker, but not a saint. Apparently someone doesn't respect her Kabbalah status. [The Scoop]
• To combat suffering record sales, Tower Records is giving away music on the internet. Sure, that makes sense. [Forbes]
• Preteen girls everywhere left heartbroken after hearing that American Idol's Ace Young is already dating a D-list celebrity. [TMZ]
• Courtney Love really is trying to get her next album out, but sometimes she gets "distracted." Yes, distraction does seem to be a problem of Love's. [Billboard]
• Gary Glitter sentenced to three years in Vietnamese prison for molesting two young girls, which is really more creepy and disturbing than funny in any way. [AP]
• Kimberly Stewart really doesn't need to shout when talking about how miserable it is to date Joe Francis, especially when the punchline rests with her brother Sean dressing up as the Girls Gone Wild mogul. [Page Six & Lowdown]
• Mariah Carey is donating furs given as a gift from a Russian mega-kabillionaire to PETA, so they can donate them to the homeless to keep warm this winter. Which sounds like a great plan, so long as overeager activists don't start tossing red paint on 'em when they pass out. [Page Six]
• Elton John is still able to make the gays cringe? We've never respected him so much. [The Scoop]
• Oliver Stone may be responsible for blockbuster films, but he's also ruining the lives of lesbians! [Page Six]
• Vogue associate publisher Connie Anne Phillips has been accused of – shock! – using her position (and Anna Wintour's name) to wrangle ad page buys from advertisers. She's pissed enough enough Madison Avenuers that Conde Nast sent her to anger management, which is code for her bending over Tom Florio's lap. [Gatecrasher]
• Congratulations to Us Weekly editrix Janice Min on the coming of her second spawn. Or, as it's known in the biz, a humanitarian way of taking the spotlight off her celebrity trashing. [Page Six]
• Before: Jon Favreau was fat. Now: Jon Favreau is really fat. [Page Six]
• Director Oliver Stone pleaded no contest to misdemeanor charges of marijuana possession, which follows his 1999 guilty plea for the same thing.
• There's a snag in the wedding plans for Paris Hilton and Paris Latsis. They won't make their promised nuptials of 2005, instead moving the ceremony to at least 2006.
• Court TV continues its city-wide ad campaign by blanketing the side of an apartment building on Sixth Avenue with images of murder. How pleasant for passers-by.
• Martha Stewart's on the ballot for October's American Magazine Conference, where her prison tales are expected to make cameos during her speech.
• Rupert Murdoch's wad of cash continues to fatten, but no thanks to the New York Post.
Editorial Director
